A feminist revenge fantasy with mystery elements.

Three women past their prime, according to the world at large, and menopause is not appealing. As each experiences loss of one kind or another, they find that they have developed some interesting abilities with their freedom. Living in Mattauk, they often see, but rarely interact, with the super wealthy who live on Culling Point overlooking the ocean. The women soon learn that with their new power comes responsibility. Their mission is to rid their community of the evil that has resulted in missing and dead young women.

I liked this well enough but am sort of tiring of the angry women vibe that involves vigilantism and murder. It's one of those where all but maybe one or two men are horrible and, despite everything going on in the news, I do not actually feel that way. In order to fully buy into this story, you have to suspend disbelief long enough to accept that the three main female characters in this story have unusual supernatural skills that come in handy when they are investigating and taking care of business in their little town. It was hard to feel sorry for the creepy men, but definitely they were stereotypical as in every book like this you read about old rich men abusing young girls. Harriet, Nessa, and Jo narrated arts of the novel so each was unique in her point of view and interesting in the way they dealt with their age and stage of life.

So, I'm glad I read this and feel like it will appeal to a certain female fan base as mature women are portrayed as strong and powerful characters capable of living life large. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This was good but too many girls and women died in it for this to really be the revenge fantasy against misogyny I wanted/was promised. But I ultimately love revenge in books, I <b>love</b> it. In real life, so much bad shit is happening and I really have to rely on karma because there’s not much I can do, but here all bets were off.

The ending took the wind out of my sails because I had kinda seen it coming and I’m like 50% on board with it and 50% miffed because it just rankled these old bones. One of the deaths was also disappointing because it wasn’t as climactic as he deserved.

I understand the Witches of Eastwick comp but honestly I really get caught up on the devil impregnation there. This felt more like a super heavy but also satisfying Practical Magic situation. There were paranormal/fantasy elements that kept the plot interesting and they took a little while to get used to, but I do think they added a necessary element. I love watching villains get what the deserve but I’m notorious for not being able to handle them villain beforehand. I think this toed the line pretty well and I wasn’t angry per se but just really sad at times.

The one truly gruesome thing we first hand witnessed (that had me fist pumping) was ruined. Bad Men were killed but in a more underhanded way? I guess I wanted more man tears and man suffering because of all the pain they caused. It was also just really fucking sad. I think most of them knew who/what was killing them but I wanted it crystal. I also don’t think some of the workplace fuckers got enough of their karma kisses. Chase also I think deserved more suffering but I could be projecting.

Some reviews were mad at the man hating. Personally, there was not enough man hating. As of 5/6/22, I really fucking hate the overall idea of men right now and I definitely read this hoping see a world that’s taken more action than the one we’re in. I’d say the book delivered but it also left much to be desired. Like I said, there was still way too much death of good people to truly help release my rage. I wanted to be Elmo surrounded by flames. Flames. Flames on the side of my face.

There are so many content warnings I don’t even know where to begin. I’ll try to compile a comprehensive list but know that it deals with heavy shit. You also got POVs from some of the victims and that just made it all way worse. Think Epstein. And all the fucked up shit surrounding that. I’m pretty sure that’s at least part of the inspiration here. I mean I’m more than sure but gotta leave room for Jesus.

Overall I do recommend this, I think it would be a great bookclub read as I want to discuss it!! But be mindful of the heavy content warnings and it may be a little raw at the current moment in time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Wow, what a rollercoaster.

I'll admit, I had no idea what this book was about when I first started. When I got an email from Netgalley, recommending this book to me less than two weeks before Pub Day and describing it as Big Little Lies meets the Witches of Eastwick, I was instantly intrigued. But that was the extent of my pre-reading knowledge.

The Change follows three women, Harriet, Jo and Nessa. All have gone through 'the change' as their approach their midlife. Each one has developed gifts or powers that arrived the same time as the menopause. In their small beach town on Long Island, they discover the body of a teenage girl. Nessa, her gift being the dead visit her, says she saw others out in the ocean, where their bodies must be. The police write off the dead girl as a sex worker who overdosed, but the trio believes something more sinister is going on. With their new powers, they are going to figure it out and they aren't going to stop until the men responsible are taken down.

This book has a little of everything... it's a feminist manifesto, a mystery, a thriller, fantasy, drama and even a little romance thrown in. The themes of the book are scarily timely in a world where women's rights are being stripped away, there is a big focus in the book about women being at the mercy of men and never given the same rights, respect and more. The book gives us backstory on each of the women and who they were before they had their powers and how they came to develop. The ending was a bit of a twist. I had a sense that some thing wasn't quite as it seemed, but was shocked how it came to fruition. My biggest complaint was the ending. I think there could have been a little more in the chapter with the aftermath. It seemed to end abruptly in my opinion.

Thanks to netgalley for providing me with the ARC of this fantastic book. This is the story of three women who discover their powers upon reaching midlife, rather than seeing it as a crisis. Someone has been killing teenage girls in an affluent area of Long Island. Nessa can hear and see their ghosts calling. Jo, a local gym owner, and powerhouse in her own right befriends her, and along with Harriet and her wild garden full of poisonous plants, who the locals call a witch, the three set out to right the wrongs being committed in their neighborhood. There are magical elements, cover ups by the local police, and trigger warnings for sexual assaults on minors. Despite the darkness, this story is light hearted and redemptive and a wild ride.

When I first saw a promotion for this book, it did sound interesting, but reading that it was of the fantasy genre, I questioned reading it. I typically do not read fantasy books. I took a chance on this book, and I am SO glad I did! It was one of the best books I have read this year, and I read a lot of books!

The Change by Kirsten Miller has it all! It does contain a bit of fantasy, but it is also a mystery, a love story, and a comedy. This is one of the few books that made me literally laugh out loud! I was hooked from page 1. I also loved how the author wrote chapters about the past and the story leading up to the actual story. I cannot say enough good things about this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

The Change is a page-turning witchy revenge fantasy that is centered around three middle-aged women and the quest to find a potential serial killer. It's dark and funny and the woman power vibes are strong - great summer read!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC.

Huge thank you to the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to receive an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! The Change was extremely original and hard to compare to anything. I enjoyed the sassy ladies and the story was told so well! The world building and strong female characters was top tier!

I'm unfortunately the unpopular opinion when it comes to this book. I requested it initially because I kept seeing amazing reviews all over the place for it and I was in the mood for an addictive page turner at the time. The book started extremely strong for me. I loved the premise and the magical realism elements that come into play pretty early in the book. When the mystery was introduced I was hooked. The initial commentary about women and women in society was really important. However, once I got about half way though my steam and stamina for the book began to dwindle. I stopped caring about what was going to happen. The magical elements kind of disappeared and I wasn't as hooked or invested. This book is almost 500 pages and it was feeling extremely dragged out for no real reason. The mystery began to feel murky because there were too many people involved and the details sounded to cloud what was really important in the story. At the end I was forcing myself to finish and that's not what I want in a book that I'm supposed to be reading for fun. So as I said early it's unfortunate, but this book just wasn't what I was expecting out of it. Thank you so much Netgalley for providing me with the copy to read and review.

I didn’t know quite what I was getting into when I started this one, but it was fun! The Change is about three middle-aged, perimenopausal women who are coming into their full supernatural witchy powers. But it’s so much more than that. They develop an unbreakable friendship and team up to solve a mystery of missing teenage girls.

It’s feminist. It’s anti-patriarchy. It’s a mystery. It’s getting revenge on all the men who did them wrong. It was quite the fun female empowering book.

I will say I think it was a bit too long, coming in at just under 500 pages though.

This book was a ROLLERCOASTER. Described as Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick, this is an adult thriller where three women come together to solve the mystery of who has been kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and murdering teen girls in Mattauk on Long Island.

Each woman has a specific gift that has come about during their later years in life (the main characters are in their late 40’s). These gifts when they work together help them take down some pretty disgusting men.

As for characters, I thought that Nessa and Harriet were the real stars. While Jo is the third of the trio, I don’t really feel like we got to see her use her gift enough. Nessa’s and Harriet’s were such a HUGE piece of the story, while Jo’s didn’t shine quite as much.

The story had so many twists and turns, and I did start to suspect the outcome, but not until about right before the end.

This book focuses on uplifting women has some real kickass female characters. I could totally see this as a TV miniseries, and I LOVED Harriet’s character. A true queen.

I thought the story was great, though the dialogue was a bit stiff and unnatural in some areas and it felt a little too formal. I don’t know if that was to help us suspect certain people because they were lying?

Overall I thought this was a great read. It’s a little slow to start, but I loved how the author gave us chapters from ALL different character perspectives, that really strengthened the storyline. The fantasy elements in this were subtle, but worked really well in the real world setting.

This story had so many twists and turns. I wasn't quite sure what it was about at first, but fell in love with Jo, Harriet, and Nessa quickly. If you like thrillers and are open to a little magical realism, then check this book out ASAP!

I do my best to never DNF a NetGalley ARC out of respect. But unfortunately, I just wasn’t able to finish this one. I loved the premise and held on to about 55% before giving up. I can see I’m in the minority with my opinion with most everyone else seemingly raving about the book. So, I do suggest you give it a try for yourself. You may be with the minority and love it!

I would give it 2.5 stars and will round up to 3.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to review this book.

Told from mainly the three main women’s perspectives, as well as some short chapters from supporting characters point of view. Very interesting story, never read anything quite like it. Each of these women who are in their 40s are facing the change of life and discovering new things about them as well as some “unique gifts”. They use the gifts to uncover and solve local murders of missing girls. Definitely enjoyed, did feel it was a little long/lengthy at times but great story and strong character development!

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All Thoughts and opinions are my own. Three Woman untie to take down those responsible for heinous acts against young girls. This book had me wanting to know what’s next all the way to the end. It has great female friendships and female empowerment throughout the book. This was an unforgettable read and love it so much if you like mystery, murder, magic you need to read this book.

In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, three women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment. Nessa, who is now a widow and an empty-nester, has begun to see & hear the ghosts of the newly departed. Harriett Osborne, after the implosion of her lucrative career and her marriage, underwent a stunning and very welcome metamorphosis and works her magic with plants to exact revenge on the men who have wronged women everywhere. Jo Levison has channeled the free-floating rage and hot flashes that are so hot they can actually melt metal, into making a gym just for women..... women like her, who need a place to work out, and get rid of some of the rage that is building up inside of them. Guided by voices only Nessa can hear, the trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned beside a remote beach. The police have written the victim off as a drug-addicted sex worker, but the women refuse to buy into the official narrative. Their investigation into the girl’s murder leads to more bodies, and to the town’s most exclusive and isolated enclave, a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply. With their newfound powers, Jo, Nessa, and Harriett will take matters into their own hands…
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was empowering, especially for women of a certain age. It also shined a light on the way men tend to treat women, the raw deal women get in the workplace, the dangers of being a young & pretty teenage girl, the inequalities in all areas of life really for women. It really isn't something I can see a man enjoying, unless he is really self-aware. It is a very long book - almost 500 pages, but I was so engrossed that it didn't feel that long to me, honestly. I loved all of the characters, and I loved the idea of a group of vigilante middle-aged women seeking justice for all of the women out there that were being wronged by men. It was a fresh idea, and the story was well-written. If you are a woman, then I think you are going to want to pick up a copy of this one!

The Change by Kirsten Miller is a story about some women so full of rage that manifests itself in various ways until people are dead . . . not undeservedly. Nessa has a gift. She inherited it from her grandmother. She can see ghosts, ghosts of people who need her help. The first time it happened she is called to a beach close to her home. She takes her friends, Jo and Harriet with her. She is frightened. They find the body down a pathway, hidden by nettles. Then two more ghosts appeared. They pointed toward the ocean. Nessa had to find them. Harriet and Jo were there to help her. So were others.

This book was certainly not what it seemed to be from the opening passages. It hopped from one woman's story to the next, but often started back at the beginning so it was not at all linear, but certainly not difficult to follow. These were perverted men who preyed on innocent young women/girls. That wasn't enough. They killed them, too, or saw to their deaths. There was no controlling them or the women who were hunting them. These were not real women, they were super-women. Some had men in their lives, some did not. They recognized good men when they saw them. The whole thing was out of control but there was so much truth in it that it was beyond frightening. How do you fight it when the protectors are part of it? An unbelievably readable book that will make you think about what you already know.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Change by Harper Collins through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #harpercollins #kristenmiller #thechange

4.5 stars, rounded up.

This is a fantastic book filled with magical realism, female friendship and female empowerment.

A couple of warnings to start: this is a very long book, it is nearly 500 pages, yet for its length it doesn't feel that long because the story moves forward and doesn't get bogged down. That's a miracle in itself because it seems to be happening a lot with books lately. Another caveat is that men aren't portrayed in a very good light here. Most of the men in this book are pretty despicable, almost on the verge of being caricatures rather than real people However, there are some good men in the book, so that saved my rating. The book is violent and graphic at times, but honestly, isn't our world violent and graphic these days?

I loved the combination of so many genres here. There's the magical realism and women's fiction as mentioned, but there's also a mystery to be solved and a great deal of action along the way. This book cannot be pigeonholed into one particular genre, it has so much to appeal to a wide variety of readers. It pulls zero punches when calling out bad behavior, so consider yourself warned--these women aren't going to take it from you or anyone else who comes across their paths.

At its core, it's the story of three women with special gifts. Harriet, who can pretty much do anything involving plants and nature, Nessa, who can hear the dead calling to her, and Jo, who can channel her rage through her body. These are just simplistic descriptions of these powerful women, but how they come together to use their gifts and powers for justice and good is a wonder to behold.

As a rule, I rarely like books with a supernatural element, but I adore magical realism. So if this turns you off in a book, I encourage you to give this a chance because you might be pleasantly surprised. I loved my time with these women and the other friends they connect with along the way. This is such a fantastic book and I will be recommending it everywhere.

Revenge feminist thriller with superpowers? Sign me up. This was really fun. I had no clue what I was in for when I picked this book up. At first I wasnt sure but Im glad i stuck with it. Whoever said this was like Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick wasn't wrong. I hope to get a sequel from Nessa, Jo and Harriett

4/5

FAVORITE BOOK OF 2022!!! I absolutely LOVED The Change - and like some of the very best books I've ever read, it's hard to put into words exactly why. Order it right now. Pick it up without knowing anything else other than that it's an adventure you won't want to miss. Make it your book club book. Convince your best friends to read it with you. Read it and share quotes with each other and discuss it.

If you need a little more - the tag line on the book is "It's not over. It's time." There is marketing copy that reads "A gloriously entertaining and knife-sharp feminist revenge fantasy about three women whose midlife crises bring unexpected new powers - putting them on a collision course with the evil that lurks in their wealthy beach town." COME ON! Doesn't that draw you right in?

You want to know more? Okay - three women discover a dead body on the beach in the town where they live. They are determined to learn more about who she was and who killed her - and make sure the right person/people are punished. But even more than that - it's such a fiercely feminist story about how women truly come into their wisdom and power as they age. Right as our patriarchal society starts to write women off, they are really just coming into their strength. I love these three women so much - Harriet, Jo and Nessa are all characters that will live in my mind for a long time.

Thank you to William Morrow for the free review copy. As soon as I finished I also preordered a finished copy - this is a book I know I'll want to reread in the future.

"That anger's life rocket fuel." she told Jo. "Either is pushes you forward or it burns you alive."

The Change is the twisty, feminist revenge story of my dreams. Character development? Check. Engaging writing? Check. A feels-like-you're-really-there setting? Check. Oh, and supernatural elements?! CHECK! Seriously, I inhaled this book within 48 hours. I took every opportunity that I could to be immersed in this story once more. It was such a great story with so many powerful (and timely...) themes and messages, and I think many readers will be able to see themselves amongst one or more of the characters. I'll be thinking about them for a long time. I'm not religious but consider me now a devoted, active member of the Church of Harriet. She was marvelous to read about and spend time with.

This isn't a perfect comparison, but if you enjoyed some of the elements of The Lost Apothecary, I think you'd also enjoy this one! I've also seen it being compared to The Witches of Eastwick.

Please be aware that there is some darker and possibly trigger content in this book. None are graphic but they are a central part of the story. Feel free to look up content warnings before you dive in.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Company for the advanced reader copy!